Previewing Today's Games - 2/22/11

Washington @ Seattle
Washington is nearly a lock.  Seattle is a really bad team.  The game is in Seattle, so the result isn't a given.  Remember St. Mary's loss last week @ San Diego?  A similar result here could drop Washington squarely on the bubble.  Likely?  No.  Possible?  Every other bubble team in the country sure hopes so.

Virginia Tech @ Wake Forest
See Washington @ Seattle.  The only difference here is that Virginia Tech is much less secure about their bubble status.  A loss here would be devastating to their chances.

La Salle @ Xavier
Xavier looks to be plenty safe right now.  A home loss to La Salle, followed by a couple other losses down the stretch, could cause them some concern.  Once again, unlikely, but possible.

Houston @ Memphis
Memphis can't afford another bad loss following their loss @ Rice on Saturday.  A loss here would make Memphis' atlarge hopes very small.

Iowa State @ Texas
Does Texas want to be a #1 seed?  Last week, it looked like they were almost a lock.  If they lose this game, they will have probably blown their chance in just a matter of days.  Iowa State may be 1-11 in Big 12 play, but they lost by 1 @ Nebraska, in OT @ Oklahoma State, and by 5 @ Texas A&M.  Texas better not sleepwalk through this game.

Illinois @ Ohio State
A win here and Ohio State remains a heavy favorite for a #1 seed.  A loss and they help keep this year's race for #1 seeds wide open.  As for Illinois, a win would pretty much secure their spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Tennessee @ Vanderbilt
Tennessee can also lock up a ticket to the Big Dance win a win tonight.  A loss wouldn't knock them onto the wrong side of the bubble, but it would push them a little closer than they would like to be.

Michigan State @ Minnesota
It seems very unlikely that both of these teams will end up in the NIT.  Tonight's winner will have the upper hand in securing an atlarge, while the loser will be squarely on the bubble.

Louisville @ Rutgers
This would be a really bad loss for Louisville if they want to earn a protected seed in the tournament.